Timothy J Saburn Head of School 44 Blackburn Road Summit, New Jersey 07901 908-522-8130 Jennifer G Landis Upper School Division Head Kathleen Moriarty Skiff Director of College Counseling College Counseling Office: Phone: 908-522-8134 Fax: 908-522-8191 Jennifer A Wilson Associate Director of College Counseling CEEB Code: 311430 Suzanne Kimm Lewis Director of Admissions Mission Statement Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, Judeo-Christian in heritage, Roman Catholic in teaching and worship, is an independent school for boys and girls in kindergarten through grade and young women in grades through 12 The Oak Knoll community commits to the education and growth of the whole child, as articulated by the founder of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, Cornelia Connelly The school fosters a faith commitment that engenders a joyous personal relationship with God in addressing the challenges of the world In a learning climate that is based on trust and reverence for the dignity and uniqueness of each person, Oak Knoll provides an intellectually challenging and creative program of study that fosters excellence in every aspect of school life and prepares our graduates to meet “the wants of the age.” Welcoming a diverse student body, our learning community develops mature students who think critically, embrace knowledge, respond with moral and ethical integrity, and make responsible choices that enrich their own lives and contribute to the lives of others Our School Founded in 1924 by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, Oak Knoll is a Catholic, independent day school The school is part of a network of 28 Holy Child schools in the United States, Europe, and Africa, which are guided by the educational philosophy of Cornelia Connelly (1809-1879), who developed an educational system based on trust and reverence for the dignity of each person Since 1846, Holy Child schools have promoted academic excellence and stressed social responsibility by providing an environment for developing critical thinking, problem solving, and decision-making skills needed in a changing world Oak Knoll’s Upper School (grades 7-12) enrolls 325 girls in its college preparatory program The school is located on a suburban campus in the northeastern New Jersey city of Summit Excellent public transportation and the school’s van service make the school accessible to students from more than 65 surrounding communities The Summit community values education and Oak Knoll is proud to be amongst its strong academic institutions Oak Knoll is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the Holy Child Network of Schools, and the New Jersey Department of Education Oak Knoll is a member of ACCIS, MSA, NACAC, NAIS, NAPSG, NCEA, NCGS, NJAIS, and The Cum Laude Society, and is also an affiliate member of the Online School for Girls/One Schoolhouse Class of 2019: 65 students; average grade point is 3.709 at the end of the junior year Graduates: 100 percent of graduates enter four-year colleges or universities Faculty: Faculty and administrators number 58; 45 hold graduate degrees Diploma Requirements: years English and theology; years foreign language (consecutive), history (including one year of United States history and two years of world history), laboratory science, mathematics, and physical education; and years of health A two-year cycle of quarter-year courses in the creative arts, as well as computer science and robotics courses, are required in grades and 10 Sixteen additional credits in core academic course are necessary to meet the requirements Class of 2018 Mean Test Scores: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing 653; Math 649 English 32.1; Math 29.1; Reading 31.9; Science 29.5; Composite 30.1 We believe that An open mind leads to a lifetime of learning Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child Academic Information Academic Schedule/Grade Point Average/Rank: Oak Knoll operates on a semester system The grade point average is cumulative from freshman year and is computed at the end of each semester All academic courses, including junior and senior arts electives, are factored into the cumulative GPA Theology courses are considered full academic courses Some courses, such as 9th and 10th grade arts, computer applications, driver’s education, concert choir, physical education, and health, are not included in this calculation Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses receive extra “weight” in the computation of the GPA; see chart below for weighting scale Only grades received at Oak Knoll are included in the GPA Students in grades 9, 10, and 11 take final examinations in some courses, which account for 15 percent of the final grade The highest GPA achieved in the past five years is 4.51 Oak Knoll does not rank students On average, the Class of 2018 took AP and Honors courses throughout their high school career GRADE EARNED A+ A AB+ B BC+ C CD F (98-100) (94-97) (90-93) (88-89) (84-87) (80-83) (78-79) (74-77) (70-73) (65-69) (Below 65) NUMBER FACTORED INTO GRADE POINT AVERAGE College Preparatory Honors Advanced Placement 4.33 4.67 5.00 4.00 4.33 4.67 3.67 4.00 4.33 3.33 3.67 4.00 3.00 3.33 3.67 2.67 3.00 3.33 2.33 2.67 3.00 2.00 2.33 2.67 1.67 2.00 2.33 1.00 1.33 1.67 0 National Merit Scholarship Program Achievements for the Classes of 2014 – 2018: National Merit Scholarship Program Finalists: National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Students: 29 National Achievement Scholarship Program Finalists: National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholars: Percentage of students recognized: 11 Advanced Placement Scores and Policy: ADVANCED PLACEMENT SCORES 2014-2018 SUBJECT TOTAL EXAMS Biology 23 80 167 Calculus AB 43 52 Calculus BC 19 21 Chemistry 13 28 68 Computer Science A 4 19 Computer Science Principles* 27 45 English Language 37 70 77 206 English Literature 15 62 91 231 European History 18 33 98 French Language 21 Latin Physics C: Mechanics 7 16 Spanish Language 15 14 35 United States History 18 53 43 161 World History 16 50 68 161 *Offered in 2016-17 for the first time; includes only two years of data Due to some very small class sections, we provide five-year data to ensure student confidentiality Given the intensity of AP courses, all students are asked to apply for admission into AP classes To uphold the integrity of the AP exam, as well as the school’s demanding selection process, all AP students must sit for exams This year, one hundred-thirty seven (137) students sat for advanced placement exams with an overall pass rate of 78 percent In 2018, Oak Knoll had 31 AP Scholars, 10 AP Scholars with Honor, 18 AP Scholars with Distinction, and one National AP Scholar Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child Colleges attended by graduates in the Classes of 2014-2018: American University Amherst College (2) Bard College Barnard College Boston College (13) Boston University (2) Bowdoin College (2) Bucknell University (6) Carnegie Mellon University Clemson University (2) Colby College Colgate University (9) College of the Holy Cross (20) Columbia University (2) Connecticut College (2) Cornell University (3) Davidson College (3) Denison University Dickinson College (3) Drexel University (2) Duke University (5) Elon University (3) Emerson College (2) Emory University (2) Fairfield University (2) Fordham University (11) George Washington University (4) Georgetown University (12) Gettysburg College Hamilton College Harvard University (3) High Point University Howard University Indiana University, Bloomington Ithaca College Johns Hopkins University Kean University Kenyon College Lafayette College (7) Lehigh University (7) Loyola University, Chicago Loyola University, Maryland (8) Marist College Marquette University New York University (7) Northeastern University (2) Northwestern University Old Dominion University Olin College of Engineering Pennsylvania State University, University Park (2) Princeton University (4) Providence College (6) Quinnipiac University Reed College Saint Joseph’s University, Pennsylvania (3) Salve Regina University Santa Clara University Skidmore College (4) Southern Methodist University (3) Stanford University (4) Stetson University Stevens Institute of Technology Syracuse University (2) Texas Christian University Trinity College (2) Tulane University (4) United States Military Academy University of Alabama University of California, Berkeley University of California, Los Angeles University of Colorado, Boulder University of Delaware (2) University of Edinburgh (2) University of Georgia University of Maryland, College Park University of Miami (2) University of Michigan (6) University of Mississippi University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill University of Notre Dame (19) University of Pennsylvania (3) University of Richmond (5) University of San Diego University of Southern California (3) University of St Andrews (2) University of Texas, Austin University of Vermont University of Virginia (3) Vanderbilt University (5) Vassar College (2) Villanova University (19) Virginia Military Institute Virginia Tech (2) Wake Forest University (7) Washington and Lee University (2) Washington University, St Louis (2) Williams College Worcester Polytechnic Institute Yale University (4) Note: Number of students beyond one currently attending indicated in parentheses Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child Key Facts Prior to the 2018-19 school year, 11th and 12th grade English courses at all levels were offered as semesterlong themed courses Starting in the 2018-19 school year, these themed courses will now be full year-long, and that change has been reflected on our transcript to show “English Literature” for all 12th grade students We no longer offer level II Foreign Language courses at the Honors level In addition to Advanced Placement courses offered in our curriculum, through our affiliation with Online School for Girls/One Schoolhouse, students have also recently taken AP Environmental Science, AP Human Geography, and AP Macroeconomics In order to help “foster a faith commitment that engenders a joyous personal response to God in the challenges of the world,” Oak Knoll requires that all students study theology, including four years in the Upper School Theology is a full academic course, meeting as often as all other academic courses The Senior Capstone Project was introduced in spring 2010 The capstone project challenges seniors to demonstrate their passion for discovery beyond the limits of the curriculum by independently exploring an area of interest—academic, creative, career, or service-oriented—and gaining real life work experience Students work in collaboration with a professor, specialist, or manager in an internship position By engaging in a meaningful “capstone” to their education at Oak Knoll, seniors set reasonable goals, manage time wisely, and demonstrate initiative Seniors are required to work a minimum of 60 hours on the project, but many exceed the requirement The project culminates in June with an oral presentation during which the seniors share their experiences with their peers, faculty, and members of the junior class Guided by a basic philosophy that, “It is essential to our development as a society that we embrace the artist’s creations because the arts serve to make our lives more complete,” Oak Knoll requires that its students take four fine arts courses Many students further their commitment to the arts by taking elective courses in their junior and senior years Each year, approximately 100 students participate in the choral program and approximately one-third of each senior class chooses to take art, dance, music, or photography courses in addition to a full course load Our arts spaces include a choral music room, a fine arts studio, a photography studio with a darkroom and digital editing software, and a dance studio Because Oak Knoll believes that, “Each person is called to work for principles of justice, peace, and compassion in every facet of life,” community service and leadership are stressed at every level and in every grade For instance, service opportunities, such as Bridges runs (which deliver bagged lunches and other necessities to those in need) and weekly tutoring with students from inner-city areas, engage Oak Knoll community members Each year, the school as a whole participates in a full-day outreach program––our annual Service Day Recent renovations to our grounds include a beautiful and serene new prayer garden open at all times for all community members, as well as new turf fields at both our Summit campus and our Chatham athletic facilities At Oak Knoll, integrity matters 44 Blackburn Road Summit, New Jersey 07901 908-522-8130 College Counseling Office: Phone: 908-522-8134 Fax: 908-522-8191 COURSES OFFERED TO THE CLASS OF 2019 English * English 9/10 English 10/11/12 Honors AP English Language AP English Literature English 11 focuses on American Literature and English 12 follows a curriculum of further studies in British and world literature Within these themes, students take semester-long courses following the topics listed below Prior to the 2018-19 school year, these semester courses were listed on the transcript From 2018-19 on, English Language (11) and English Literature (12) will be listed on the transcript instead Alienation, Dislocation, and Otherness American Losers American Madness in Literature Americans on the Move British Heroes and Legends Contemporary American Literature Crafting Creative Non-Fiction Evil in Literature: The Dark Side of the Soul Literature of Fantasy Modern World Literature: Tellers of Tales Natural World in Literature Nineteenth Century British Women: Respectability and Romance The Puritan Legacy Shakespeare: Tragedy, History, and Comedy Transcendental Literature Women in Literature Humanities Humanities Honors Computer Science * Computer Concepts & Digital Media Introduction to Programming and Robotics Computer Science Principles Honors AP Computer Science Principles AP Computer Science A Foreign Language * French I/II/III/IV French III/IV/V Honors** Latin I/II/III/IV Latin III/IV/V Honors** Spanish I/II/III/IV Spanish III/IV/V Honors** AP French AP Latin AP Spanish Italian I/II Honors (one course) Linguistics Honors **Please note we no longer offer level II Honors language courses History * World History I/II World History II Honors AP World History Survey of U.S History Survey of U.S History Honors AP U.S History AP European History Social Psychology Honors Mathematics * Algebra I Geometry Geometry Honors Algebra II Algebra II/Trigonometry Honors Functions/Trigonometry Pre-Calculus Pre-Calculus Honors Calculus Honors AP Calculus AB AP Calculus BC Statistics & Operations Research AP Statistics Engineering Science Honors Science * Physics Physics Honors Chemistry Chemistry Honors Biology Biology Honors AP Chemistry Marine Science/Anatomy and Physiology Honors (semester courses) AP Biology AP Environmental Science AP Physics C: Mechanics Theology * Theology 9/10 Theology 11: (semester courses) Foundations of the Moral Life Morality for the 21st Century Theology 12: (semester courses) Catholic Identity Call to Justice Creative Arts Creative Arts Distribution— In 9th and 10th grade, students choose four classes from: Calligraphy, Computer Graphics, Dance I and II, Darkroom Photo, Foundation Drawing, Intro to Photo, Music Theatre Appreciation, Operantics and Theater Production Junior and Senior Electives: Advanced Vocal Performance Honors Art Major I/II Art Portfolio Honors Ballet/Contemporary Conditioning I/II (semester courses) Digital Photography I/II – semester courses Modern Dance/Contemporary Conditioning I/II (semester courses) Photography Portfolio Honors *Courses are listed in grade order